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Channel 9 keeps you up to date with the latest news and behind the scenes info from Microsoft that developers love to keep up with. From LINQ to SilverLight – Watch videos and hear about all the cool technologies coming and the people behind them.https://channel9.msdn.com/Tags/coding4fun
enTue, 26 Sep 2017 22:08:28 GMTTue, 26 Sep 2017 22:08:28 GMTRev916766825A Spot On Visual Studio ExtensionListening to music while coding is like, chocolate and [just about anything]. I don't know about you, but when I'm coding, I have to listen to music. And the type of music depends on the type of coding. Classical for SQL, Metal for C#, Pop for JavaScript, and so on.

When you're in the zone, the last thing you want to do is switch out of Visual Studio, to your music player just to skip to the next song, see what's playing, pause, etc.

If your music service of choice is Spotify, then you're in luck! Stay in the zone and the IDE with today's extensions from Arjan Kuijpers!

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/A-Spot-On-Visual-Studio-ExtensionListening to music while coding is like, chocolate and [just about anything]. I don't know about you, but when I'm coding, I have to listen to music. And the type of music depends on the type of coding. Classical for SQL, Metal for C#, Pop for JavaScript, and so on. When you're in the zone, the last thing you want to do is switch out of Visual Studio, to your music player just to skip to the next song, see what's playing, pause, etc. If your music service of choice is Spotify, then you're in luck! Stay in the zone and the IDE with today's extensions from Arjan Kuijpers! SpotifyRemoteSpotify Remote. With SpotifyRemote you can stay inside Visual Studio to manage your music, no need to switch windows. This way we have the best of both worlds, Visual Studio and music. Helpful Links for SpotifyRemote Readme on Github (extensive information)Download for Visual Studio 2015Download for Visual Studio 2017Report bugs and feature requests on Github View current release notes and know issues on Github ... Follow @CH9 Follow @coding4fun Follow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/A-Spot-On-Visual-Studio-Extension
Mon, 25 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/A-Spot-On-Visual-Studio-ExtensionGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/A-Spot-On-Visual-Studio-Extension/RSSCoding4FunVisual Studio extensibilityWindows 10 IoT Core Project TemplatesThe last post in our Template Week takes us to IoT and Windows 10 IoT Core (I know, funny that!)

The best part of these Project templates is that they are NOT just C# templates, but VB, C++ and even JavaScript...

Application Types

Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Apps ...

Traditional UWP Apps ...

Background Apps ...

Non-UWP Apps ...

Programming Languages

In-Box languages

Traditional UWP languages ship with support in Visual Studio by default. All of the In-Box languages support both UI and Background Applications+

Languages

C#

C++

Javascript

Visual Basic

IoT Focused Languages

The IoT targeted languages require the download of the "Windows IoT Core Project Templates" from the Visual Studio Tools->Extensions and Updates manager. The IoT Focused languages support only Background Applications. You can also build Windows Runtime Components using C#, C++, or Visual Basic and then reference those libraries from any other language (except Python).+

Windows Template Studio is a Visual Studio 2017 Extension that accelerates the creation of new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps using a wizard-based experience. The resulting UWP project is well-formed, readable code that incorporates the latest Windows 10 features while implementing proven patterns and best practices. Sprinkled throughout the generated code we have links Docs, Stack Overflow and blogs to provide useful insights.

Example scenario: I need an app that uses MVVM, uses master detail, can suspend and resume, settings, maps on one of the pages and will need Azure hub notifications. It will need a background service that does a query every 5 minutes...

Improvements to the Wizard:

All needed parts for localization are built-in now (looks like we missed window to get actual localized files)

Initial VB engine work was added in.

Bug fixes

Process improvements:

StyleCop enforcements across Template and Wizard code bases

Appveyor added for pull requests to be sure we have proper continuous integration checks

Required work for .NET Foundation

How to get the update:

There are two paths to update to the newest build.

...

What else is cooking for next versions?

We love all the community support and participation. In addition, here are just a few of the things we are currently building out that will be in future builds:

Fluent Design in the templates

Ink templates

Improved Right-click->add support for existing projects

Localization in the wizard

Visual Basic support

Caliburn.Micro support

Prism support

With partnership with the community, we will continue cranking out and iterating new features and functionality. We’re always looking for additional people to help out and if you’re interested, please head to our GitHub at https://aka.ms/wts. If you have an idea or feature request, please make the request!

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Super-UWP-Apps-with-the-Super-Windows-Template-StudioWe couldn't have a &quot;Template Week&quot; if we didn't cover the awesome that is the Windows Template Studio! What? You've never heard of it? Windows Template StudioWindows Template Studio is a Visual Studio 2017 Extension that accelerates the creation of new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps using a wizard-based experience. The resulting UWP project is well-formed, readable code that incorporates the latest Windows 10 features while implementing proven patterns and best practices. Sprinkled throughout the generated code we have links Docs, Stack Overflow and blogs to provide useful insights. Example scenario: I need an app that uses MVVM, uses master detail, can suspend and resume, settings, maps on one of the pages and will need Azure hub notifications. It will need a background service that does a query every 5 minutes... Select your project type and framework: Select your App pages and features: You are ready!, create your project template and run it. So what's new with the WTS? v1.3 is! Windows Template Studio 1.3 Released!We’re extremely excited to announce the Windows Template Studio 1.3. In this release, we added in app scheme launch, finalized our work for localization, massive improvements in accessibility and started our work for Visual Basic support. What’s new:For a full list of adjustments in the 1.3 release, head over to WTS’s Github. ... New Feature:Scheme to launch app (aka myAwesomeApp://myDeepLinksIntoMyApp?foo=bar)Template improvements:Default Windows theme support added to templateFiles are now UTF-8 with BOM to make sure all cultures are supportedAccessibility support in templatesImprovements to the Wizard:Accessibility support in Wizard drastically improvedLots of under the hood bug fixes and code improvementsAll needed parts for localization are built-in now (looks like we missed window to get actual localized files)Initial VB engine work was added in.Bug fixesProcess improvements:StyleCop enforcements across Template and Wizard codehttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Super-UWP-Apps-with-the-Super-Windows-Template-Studio
Wed, 20 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Super-UWP-Apps-with-the-Super-Windows-Template-StudioGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Super-UWP-Apps-with-the-Super-Windows-Template-Studio/RSSC#Coding4FunTemplatesWindows 10UWP appsNew dotnet newIt's Template week! All this week, we're highlighting templates in all their glory.

When creating a new project with the dotnet new command, you are offered a list of templates you can use. These templates allow you to quickly bootstrap a new application according to a specific configuration. There are for example templates to create an MVC application, a Razor application, an API etc.

Useful Resources

A few issues I ran into

Identity and Group Identity...

Customise parameter names ...

Conclusion

I am very happy about the inclusion of the new .NET Templating engine. It is still a little limited in some senses, but it is a great step forward. I hope to see the community contribute a lot of new templates.

You can now create your own templates for dotnet new. Creating and installing your own templates is an experimental feature at this point, but one that we are seeing significant interest in and that deserves more of your feedback before we enable it for broad use with .NET Core 2.0. The version of dotnet new shipped with the .NET Core 1.0 SDK has a new command line parameter --install. This is an undocumented feature, and is not currently included in the help output.

You can try the new template experience if you have the new SDK or Visual Studio 2017 installed. If you didn’t you can right now.

The goal of this post is to connect with developers who are interested in creating templates. If you maintain a library or framework project on GitHub, then you are a great candidate to be a template author. There are lots of other cases too, where creating templates makes sense. If you can create a sample, you can create a template. It’s not hard at all.

In the last update for .NET Core, we have updated dotnet new. This new version of dotnet new is now built on top of the new Template Engine, which is a library that we are developing. To learn more about how to use dotnet new see the docs. In this article, we’ll show how to create some custom templates and then use them from dotnet new.

...

Closing

In this post, we have shown how you can get started with creating your own custom templates for dotnet new. We are still working on enabling the end user scenarios where templates are acquired and used. In this release, the --install switch is hidden because it’s currently in preview. The syntax of this command is likely to change. After installing templates, to reset your templates back to the default list you can run the command dotnet new --debug:reinit In the following section, you’ll find some links to existing resources. Please share your comments here and file issues as needed. You can also reach me on twitter @SayedIHashimi We’re very excited to see the awesome templates that the community creates. In addition to this blog, we may post dotnet new related posts to the .NET Web Developer Blog.

Overview

This repository is the home for the .NET Core Template Engine. It contains the brains for dotnet new. When dotnet new is invoked, it will call the Template Engine to create the artifacts on disk. Template Engine is a library for manipulating streams, including operations to replace values, include/exclude regions and process if, else if, else and end if style statements.

Template Samples

We have created a dotnet template samples repo, which shows how you can use the Template Engine to create new templates. The samples are setup to be stand alone for specific examples. If you are in need of a sample, and it doesn't exist please create an issue in the samples repo.

Info for dotnet new users

To get started let's find out what options we have by executing dotnet new --help. The result is pasted in the block below.

...

What to expect when working with this repo

The instructions below enable a new command at the dotnet CLI, dotnet new3, that uses the bits and templates contained in this repo. Think of it as a "preview" version of dotnet new for trying out new switches, interactions and display styles before rolling them in to the product.

Debugging

Debugging code requires your current dotnet new3 session to have its active build session configured to DEBUG, and a debugger from your application of choice to be attached to the current running dotnet new3 process. The steps required to accomplish this are outlined below.

...

Installing templates

Templates can be installed from packages in any NuGet feed, directories on the file system or ZIP type archives (zip, nupkg, vsix, etc.) To install a new template use the command:

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/New-dotnet-newIt's Template week! All this week, we're highlighting templates in all their glory. Why? Why not! First off, we're talking the new templating engine in .NET Core. Jerrie Pelser has a great post on just that! Tips for developing templates for dotnet newWhen creating a new project with the dotnet new command, you are offered a list of templates you can use. These templates allow you to quickly bootstrap a new application according to a specific configuration. There are for example templates to create an MVC application, a Razor application, an API etc. You can also install extra templates which have been created by other authors. You can discover these templates on the .NET Templating Wiki or on the dotnet core templates website. You are also able to develop your own templates, either for internal use, or to make it available on NuGet for other people to take advantage of. I recently developed templates that allow developers to bootstrap a new application that makes use of Auth0 for authentication. Here are useful resources I came across, as well as some tips for issues I ran into. Useful Resources... [Nope, not going to steal his thunder, click through for this great resource list] A few issues I ran intoIdentity and Group Identity...Customise parameter names ...ConclusionI am very happy about the inclusion of the new .NET Templating engine. It is still a little limited in some senses, but it is a great step forward. I hope to see the community contribute a lot of new templates. Next is a must read post from Sayed-Ibrahim-Hashimi that takes you from zero to template hero... How to create your own templates for dotnet newYou can now create your own templates for dotnet new. Creating and installing your own templates is an experimental feature at this point, but one that we are seeing significant interest in and that deserves more of your feedback before we enable it for broad use with .NET Core 2.0. The version of dotnet new shipped with the .NET Core 1.0 SDK has a nehttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/New-dotnet-new
Mon, 18 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/New-dotnet-newGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/New-dotnet-new/RSS.NETCoding4FunTemplatesScratch For The PiGuess we're having a little programing on the Pi theme week!

Today's project includes two of our favorite things, MIT's Scratch and the Raspberry Pi...

We’re very excited to announce that Scratch 2.0 is now available as an offline app for the Raspberry Pi! This new version of Scratch allows you to control the Pi’s GPIO (General Purpose Input and Output) pins, and offers a host of other exciting new features.

Offline accessibility

The most recent update to Raspbian includes the app, which makes Scratch 2.0 available offline on the Raspberry Pi. This is great news for clubs and classrooms, where children can now use Raspberry Pis instead of connected laptops or desktops to explore block-based programming and physical computing.

Controlling GPIO with Scratch 2.0

As with Scratch 1.4, Scratch 2.0 on the Raspberry Pi allows you to create code to control and respond to components connected to the Pi’s GPIO pins. This means that your Scratch projects can light LEDs, sound buzzers and use input from buttons and a range of sensors to control the behaviour of sprites. Interacting with GPIO pins in Scratch 2.0 is easier than ever before, as text-based broadcast instructions have been replaced with custom blocks for setting pin output and getting current pin state.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Scratch-For-The-PiGuess we're having a little programing on the Pi theme week! Today's project includes two of our favorite things, MIT's Scratch and the Raspberry Pi... What, you've forgotten what Scratch it? About Scratch With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge. Scratch 2.0: all-new features for your Raspberry PiWe’re very excited to announce that Scratch 2.0 is now available as an offline app for the Raspberry Pi! This new version of Scratch allows you to control the Pi’s GPIO (General Purpose Input and Output) pins, and offers a host of other exciting new features. Offline accessibilityThe most recent update to Raspbian includes the app, which makes Scratch 2.0 available offline on the Raspberry Pi. This is great news for clubs and classrooms, where children can now use Raspberry Pis instead of connected laptops or desktops to explore block-based programming and physical computing. Controlling GPIO with Scratch 2.0As with Scratch 1.4, Scratch 2.0 on the Raspberry Pi allows you to create code to control and respond to components connected to the Pi’s GPIO pins. This means that your Scratch projects can light LEDs, sound buzzers and use input from buttons and a range of sensors to control the behaviour of sprites. Interacting with GPIO pins in Scratch 2.0 is easier than ever before, as text-based broadcast instructions have been replaced with custom blocks for setting pin output and getting current pin state. ... Cloning sprites ... Custom blocks ... Peripheral interaction ... Update your Raspberry Pi for Scratch 2.0 Scratch 2.0 is available in the latest Raspbian release, under the ‘Programming’ menu. We’ve put together ahttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Scratch-For-The-Pi
Fri, 15 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Scratch-For-The-PiGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Scratch-For-The-Pi/RSSCoding4FunEducationlearningIoTUrhoSharp for HoloLens Project TemplatesI found today's project from Egor Bogatov merges a couple cool things, HoloLens and UrhoSharp

UrhoSharp is a lightweight Game Engine suitable for using with C# and F# to create games that run on Android, iOS, Mac, Windows and Unix. The game engine is available as a portable class library, allowing your game code to be written once and shared across all platforms. UrhoSharp is powered by Urho3D (http://urho3d.github.io/), a game engine that has been under development for more than a decade.

To help developers get up and running quickly with UrhoSharp we are providing a set of project templates for Visual Studio.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/UrhoSharp-for-HoloLens-Project-TemplatesI found today's project from Egor Bogatov merges a couple cool things, HoloLens and UrhoSharp UrhoSharp for HoloLensUrhoSharp is a lightweight Game Engine suitable for using with C# and F# to create games that run on Android, iOS, Mac, Windows and Unix. The game engine is available as a portable class library, allowing your game code to be written once and shared across all platforms. UrhoSharp is powered by Urho3D (http://urho3d.github.io/), a game engine that has been under development for more than a decade. To help developers get up and running quickly with UrhoSharp we are providing a set of project templates for Visual Studio. Project Information URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=EgorBogatov.UrhoSharpforHoloLens Project Download URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=EgorBogatov.UrhoSharpforHoloLens Project Source URL: https://github.com/xamarin/urho-samples/tree/master/HoloLens Follow @CH9Follow @Coding4FunFollow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/UrhoSharp-for-HoloLens-Project-Templates
Thu, 14 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/UrhoSharp-for-HoloLens-Project-TemplatesGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/UrhoSharp-for-HoloLens-Project-Templates/RSSCoding4FunHololensVC Code on the Pi!Today's project from HeadMelted (Jay Rodgers) is simply cool. It takes the new shiny that is Visual Studio Code, taking advantage of its open source'ness and cross platform capabilities, and ports it to a number of ARM platforms, including Chromebooks and the Raspberry Pi.

Platforms

The primary focus of this site is to provide builds of the open-source edition of VS Code for less common platforms (those that might not otherwise receive them). You can find details below of the architectures, operating systems and packaging formats these builds support.

The extensions you want should work. Any dependencies that are not local to your architecture (e.g. x86 binary code on an ARM chromebook) will be emulated to ensure compatibility, but there is no guarantee of compatibility.

Will Visual Studio Code run on my device?

The best way to find out if your device is compatible is to go to the Instructions section and try it for yourself.

Are these releases provided by Microsoft?

No. These releases are an independent community effort. For clarity, this website (and the releases here) are not affiliated with Microsoft.

...

Why make these builds?

The intention of these builds is to get Visual Studio Code into the hands of as many developers (and aspiring developers) as possible. Doing this means reaching out to those users on the most cost-conscious machines, and therefore supporting lower-end devices based on ARM that may be more complicated for Microsoft to support in an official capacity.

Why Visual Studio Code?

I personally wanted to use the tool on my own ARM single-board computers for teaching purposes, and on my Chromebook for daily use, so this is really a case of "scratch your own itch" software.

This is really cool. Can I help with this?

Yes you can! Any and all help is appreciated, but you'll need to digitally sign the Microsoft CLA first, so that we can contribute any fixes back upstream to the core repository.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/VC-Code-on-the-PiToday's project from HeadMelted (Jay Rodgers) is simply cool. It takes the new shiny that is Visual Studio Code, taking advantage of its open source'ness and cross platform capabilities, and ports it to a number of ARM platforms, including Chromebooks and the Raspberry Pi. Yes, you can run VSCode on the Pi! Visual Studio Code for Chromebooks, Raspberry Pi and other ARM and Intel systemsPlatformsThe primary focus of this site is to provide builds of the open-source edition of VS Code for less common platforms (those that might not otherwise receive them). You can find details below of the architectures, operating systems and packaging formats these builds support. Architectures amd64, armhfPackages DEB, RPMOperating Systems Linux, Chrome OS*(* uses embedded Linux) ... Frequently asked questionsWhat is this? These are automated builds of the open-source edition of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code.How does this work? The latest code is pulled on a nightly basis from Microsoft's official repository. If there are updates, the code is built, packaged and deployed.Which devices are supported? Please refer to the Platforms section.Do these releases support extensions? The extensions you want should work. Any dependencies that are not local to your architecture (e.g. x86 binary code on an ARM chromebook) will be emulated to ensure compatibility, but there is no guarantee of compatibility.Will Visual Studio Code run on my device? The best way to find out if your device is compatible is to go to the Instructions section and try it for yourself.Are these releases provided by Microsoft? No. These releases are an independent community effort. For clarity, this website (and the releases here) are not affiliated with Microsoft.... Why make these builds? The intention of these builds is to get Visual Studio Code into the hands of as many developers (and aspiring developers) as possible. Doing this means reaching out to those users on the most cost-conscious machines, and thereforhttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/VC-Code-on-the-Pi
Wed, 13 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/VC-Code-on-the-PiGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/VC-Code-on-the-Pi/RSSCoding4FunVisual Studio CodeASP.NET Core 2.0 Your Raspberry Pi GPIO PinsToday's post from Carlos Mendible is just neat. It shows off cross platform ASP.NET 2.0 Core, writing an .NET app that controls a Raspberry Pi, but best of all detailed, step-by-step instructions.

So here I propose a template to easily develop for the HoloLens on UE4.

Video I made of this: https://youtu.be/KxvAm2qNJ0Q (note that the spatial mapping is not excellent near a pool and during the night... that's why the holograms are a little shacky)

A very important note: This is based on an branch of Unreal currently and actively developed by a very dedicated Microsoft team.

For version 1.0, gesture are not enabled yet and spatial mapping is used with limitations.Expect a rapid development while we'll follow the team and enable features after features.

I'll try to do my best to speed up the development, but hey the goal here is to put the community talents together to finally have a well-working, fully-enabled Hololens template. This will be also very handy for Windows Mixed-Reality HMDs which arecoming to us in a near future.

However I keep a focus an Hololens since I personnaly think that spatial mapping and hand-gestures recognition is the future of VR/AR.

Main infos found in the forum at https://forums.unrealengine.com/show...olens-TemplateTo install as a template, just unzip into the appropriate templates directory like (install dir)\Templates for launcher version. Launch a new project, and you'll find it in the blueprint section.To open as a project file, open the project with the launcher or directly from the .uproject file.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/HoloLens-UE4-Template-10Today's project from Proteus is a community created Template for creating HoloLens applications with UE4... HoloLens Template 1.0So here I propose a template to easily develop for the HoloLens on UE4. Video I made of this: https://youtu.be/KxvAm2qNJ0Q (note that the spatial mapping is not excellent near a pool and during the night... that's why the holograms are a little shacky) A very important note: This is based on an branch of Unreal currently and actively developed by a very dedicated Microsoft team. For version 1.0, gesture are not enabled yet and spatial mapping is used with limitations.Expect a rapid development while we'll follow the team and enable features after features. I'll try to do my best to speed up the development, but hey the goal here is to put the community talents together to finally have a well-working, fully-enabled Hololens template. This will be also very handy for Windows Mixed-Reality HMDs which arecoming to us in a near future. However I keep a focus an Hololens since I personnaly think that spatial mapping and hand-gestures recognition is the future of VR/AR. Files can be found at https://1drv.ms/f/s!Av77lIIxt2OY0XGGW8UDwykohjuTGitHub version at https://github.com/ProteusVR/Hololens (you need to be logged to Github to open the link)VERSION 1.0AUGUST 1st, 2017TESTED ON UNREAL 4.16.2 – MIXED REALITY BRANCH...What to do:On the Hololens· Enable developer mode· Be sure that latest version 10.0.14393.0 is installed· Go to your router and note the ip adress of your HololensCompiling UE4 from source ... How can I install it?Files can be found at https://1drv.ms/f/s!Av77lIIxt2OY0XGGW8UDwykohjuTGitHub version at https://github.com/ProteusVR/Hololens (you need to be logged to Github to open the link) Main infos found in the forum at https://forums.unrealengine.com/show...olens-TemplateTo install as a template, just unzip into the appropriate templates directory like (install dir)\Templates for launcher version. Launch a new project, and you'll fihttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/HoloLens-UE4-Template-10
Thu, 07 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/HoloLens-UE4-Template-10Greg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/HoloLens-UE4-Template-10/RSSCoding4FunHololensIt's Here, UWP Community Toolkit v2.0!The UWP Community Toolkit continues to rapidly, almost scary rapid, roll out updates, new features and capabilities. For example, last week Nikola Metulev talked about the new major version, v2.0!

Today, the UWP Community Toolkit graduates to version 2.0 and sets the stage for future releases.

There have been seven releases since the UWP Community Toolkit was first introduced exactly one year ago and version 2.0 is the first major and largest update to date. The developer community has worked enthusiastically to build something that is used by thousands of developers every month. Today, there are over 100 contributors, and developers have downloaded the packages over 250,000 times. This would not be possible without the strength of the community – Thank You!

For developers, and designers alike

Beginning with the v2.0 release, the UWP Community Toolkit is making efforts to align with the latest Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to enable developers to take advantage of the new APIs and the new Fluent Design System.

The Fluent Design System defines several foundational elements that will make new designs perform beautifully across devices, inputs and dimensions. To prepare for the general availability of the Fall Creators Update later this year, the community has committed to update all UWP Community Toolkit controls to adopt Fluent Design. Over the coming months, new and existing controls will be updated to support light, depth, material, motion and scale. The sample app will also be updated to take full advantage of the new foundational elements to demonstrate what is possible.

Updating the Sample App

The UWP Community Toolkit Sample App showcases toolkit features for developers by providing tools to get started using the toolkit in their apps, and it continues to get better. In the largest update since the initial release, developers can now edit XAML directly in the sample app and instantaneously view the results side by side. ...

Beyond UWP

The UWP Community Toolkit has received feedback about the importance of supporting cross-platform development to enable developers to share more of their code across platforms. Version 2.0 introduces two new packages: Microsoft.Toolkit and Microsoft.Toolkit.Services with the commitment to support more cross platform APIs in future releases. ...

What else is new?

As with every release, the community has worked together to share their ideas, build new controls and helpers libraries and improve the UWP Community Toolkit for everyone. This release is no different.

There are several large additions and updates to highlight here, but make sure to visit our release notes for all additions and improvements:

Added InAppNotification control – a control to show local notifications in app

This is just the start

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Its-Here-UWP-Community-Toolkit-v20The UWP Community Toolkit continues to rapidly, almost scary rapid, roll out updates, new features and capabilities. For example, last week Nikola Metulev talked about the new major version, v2.0! What, the UWP Community Toolkit is news to you? First, here's some of the other times we've covered it; Do you UWP? Then you'll want this...UWP&#43;&#43; with UWP Community Toolkit 1.1UWP Community Toolkit Gets New Controls, Services and More in 1.3The UWP Community Toolkit is 1 1/2! (v1.5)Second, check out the docs, which I don't think we've mentioned before, http://www.uwpcommunitytoolkit.com/en/master/ Lastly, check out Nikola's post... The UWP Community Toolkit v2.0Today, the UWP Community Toolkit graduates to version 2.0 and sets the stage for future releases. There have been seven releases since the UWP Community Toolkit was first introduced exactly one year ago and version 2.0 is the first major and largest update to date. The developer community has worked enthusiastically to build something that is used by thousands of developers every month. Today, there are over 100 contributors, and developers have downloaded the packages over 250,000 times. This would not be possible without the strength of the community – Thank You! For developers, and designers alikeBeginning with the v2.0 release, the UWP Community Toolkit is making efforts to align with the latest Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to enable developers to take advantage of the new APIs and the new Fluent Design System. The Fluent Design System defines several foundational elements that will make new designs perform beautifully across devices, inputs and dimensions. To prepare for the general availability of the Fall Creators Update later this year, the community has committed to update all UWP Community Toolkit controls to adopt Fluent Design. Over the coming months, new and existing controls will be updated to support light, depth, material, motion and scale. The sample app will also be updated to take full https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Its-Here-UWP-Community-Toolkit-v20
Wed, 06 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Its-Here-UWP-Community-Toolkit-v20Greg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Its-Here-UWP-Community-Toolkit-v20/RSSCoding4FunWindows 10UWP appsSmart Code Coloring with CoCoRemember the days when we had the choice of one color, usually White or Green, for our code (cause we were using a DOS)? And that first time you saw syntax coloring and how your brain exploded?

Yeah, I don't either (um... yeah...)

Today color is all over our coding windows or IDE's. But, in many cases, it's not really "smart" coloring. It's simple, this is a data type, this is a variable, this is the start/end of an enclosure, etc.

What would be cool is a way to use the smarts in the .NET Compiler Platform (fka as Roslyn) to intelligently color your code...

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Smart-Code-Coloring-with-CoCoRemember the days when we had the choice of one color, usually White or Green, for our code (cause we were using a DOS)? And that first time you saw syntax coloring and how your brain exploded? Yeah, I don't either (um... yeah...) Today color is all over our coding windows or IDE's. But, in many cases, it's not really &quot;smart&quot; coloring. It's simple, this is a data type, this is a variable, this is the start/end of an enclosure, etc. What would be cool is a way to use the smarts in the .NET Compiler Platform (fka as Roslyn) to intelligently color your code... I guess that makes George Aleksandria's project officially cool! CoCoAn open source extension that uses Roslyn to color and decorate our C# code. A Visual Studio 2017 extension that uses Roslyn API's for analyzing C# source code and colorize appropriate syntax nodes to different colors. It makes easily recognizabling the supported elements. Extension supports following elements: NamespacesAlias for namespacesFields in the local scopeParametersInstance methods and constructorStatic and extension methodsEventsPropertiesInstance fieldsEnum fieldsUse Visual Studio Fonts and Colors options to change colors for items. Look for items in Display Items that starts with CoCo format: If you are looking the same extension for Visual Studio 2015 you can get it from here. ExamplesIn the Dark theme: In the Light/Blue theme: ... Click through to download it ... And has George said, it's open source, https://github.com/GeorgeAlexandria/CoCo Follow @CH9 Follow @coding4fun Follow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Smart-Code-Coloring-with-CoCo
Mon, 04 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Smart-Code-Coloring-with-CoCoGreg DuncanGreg Duncan1https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Smart-Code-Coloring-with-CoCo/RSSC#Coding4FunVisual Studio extensibilityIoT Tools for Learner, Hobbyist and ProfessionalLast week we highlighted a great IoT tools Visual Studio Magazine article by Terrence Dorsey in our IoT and Visual Studio post.

Today we're highlighting a post from our IoT Developers blog by Zhidi Shang, again about IoT devices and tools for the hobbyist and professional

Many developers have heard about the buzz: Internet of Things (IoT). As a standalone IT field, IoT has attracted lots of attentions for its huge potentials. But the ecosystem of IoT is too complicated and fragmented, leaving people easily get lost.

IoT Developers Need Tools

...

At Microsoft, with our offerings on Microsoft Azure IoT, we realized that there is a big gap for developers to be more productive when they develop the IoT applications on public cloud like Azure. We encountered different type of developers: traditional embedded developers who are familiar with C-based technical stack and want to learn and prototype cloud applications; mobile and cloud application developers who are comfortable developing in cloud using the popular tech stacks, but feel challenging handling hardware, drivers and firmware; traditional enterprise software developers who often need to integrate their legacy system with new technical stacks on device or in cloud.

In order to help them to succeed on public cloud, for the past months, we developed different tools to help IoT developers to be productive on Microsoft Azure.

Tools for IoT Developers to Learn and to Prototype

For developers who come from other software background, and new to IoT, we provided the following tools for them to effectively get started about developing IoT application on Microsoft Azure, and turn their IoT ideas into reality by leveraging the cloud services Microsoft Azure can offer:

MXChip IoT Developer Kit ...

Visual Studio Code Extension for Arduino ...

"Happy Path" Get Started Tutorials ...

Online Device Simulator ...

...

Tools for Professional IoT Developers

For developers who are developing in a team with real-world IoT applications, we provided tools to empower them to easily develop, test, debug, monitor and operate the IoT applications on Microsoft Azure. Some of the tools we have released or will release soon:

Azure IoT Gateway/Edge SDK packages ...

IoT connected service extension for Visual Studio ...

...

We Want Developers to Use the Tools

We are actively reaching out to the developer community to learn their real pain points and tooling needs when developing IoT application in public cloud. We work hard to continuously improve our existing tools, add new tools to our portfolio. And we work with community contributors through the projects we open sourced to exemplify our goal: Develop by the Developers, for the Developers.

Our biggest rewards and incentives are that developers use our tools everyday to help their IoT development.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/IoT-Tools-for-Learner-Hobbyist-and-ProfessionalLast week we highlighted a great IoT tools Visual Studio Magazine article by Terrence Dorsey in our IoT and Visual Studio post. Today we're highlighting a post from our IoT Developers blog by Zhidi Shang, again about IoT devices and tools for the hobbyist and professional IoT Developers, Check Out These Development Tools!Many developers have heard about the buzz: Internet of Things (IoT). As a standalone IT field, IoT has attracted lots of attentions for its huge potentials. But the ecosystem of IoT is too complicated and fragmented, leaving people easily get lost. IoT Developers Need Tools ... At Microsoft, with our offerings on Microsoft Azure IoT, we realized that there is a big gap for developers to be more productive when they develop the IoT applications on public cloud like Azure. We encountered different type of developers: traditional embedded developers who are familiar with C-based technical stack and want to learn and prototype cloud applications; mobile and cloud application developers who are comfortable developing in cloud using the popular tech stacks, but feel challenging handling hardware, drivers and firmware; traditional enterprise software developers who often need to integrate their legacy system with new technical stacks on device or in cloud. In order to help them to succeed on public cloud, for the past months, we developed different tools to help IoT developers to be productive on Microsoft Azure. Tools for IoT Developers to Learn and to Prototype For developers who come from other software background, and new to IoT, we provided the following tools for them to effectively get started about developing IoT application on Microsoft Azure, and turn their IoT ideas into reality by leveraging the cloud services Microsoft Azure can offer: MXChip IoT Developer Kit ... Visual Studio Code Extension for Arduino ... &quot;Happy Path&quot; Get Started Tutorials ... Online Device Simulator ... ... Tools for Professional IoT Developers For developers whhttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/IoT-Tools-for-Learner-Hobbyist-and-Professional
Fri, 01 Sep 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/IoT-Tools-for-Learner-Hobbyist-and-ProfessionalGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/IoT-Tools-for-Learner-Hobbyist-and-Professional/RSSCoding4FunIoTMixed Reality Lunar ModuleToday's HoloLens project comes to us from the very cool Microsoft Mixed Reality Design Labs

This repo is where Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality Design team publishes examples and explorations. The goal is to inspire creators and help them to build Mixed Reality experiences. We share sample app projects here that demonstrate how to use various types of common controls and patterns in Mixed Reality. Find out details about common controls and sample apps on https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/mixed-reality/design

Lunar Module

Lunar Module is a open-source sample app from Microsoft's Mixed Reality Design Labs, it is a spiritual sequel to the 1979 Atari classic, Lunar Lander. This sample app will demonstrate how to extend Hololens' base gestures with two hand tracking and xbox controller input, reactive objects to surface mapping and plane finding, and simple menu systems. You can use this project's components to create your own mixed reality app experience.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Missed-Clippy-Hes-baaackkkkClippy is back and in your Visual Studio. Yes, you read that right... Eros Fratini recently released an open source v0.1 extension that brings Clippy to Visual Studio. Love Clippy or hate him, you have to admit Eros' project is kind of cool. ClippyVSClippyVS is an extension for Visual Studio that resuscitates Clippy in (almost) all his glory. It adds our hero inside the IDE and it will react to some of your actions. You can move it around, close it and retrieve it back from the menu Tools -&gt; Clippy VS. PLEASE NOTE: the extension is still in development, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Download it here, or check out the code and provide feedback here. Follow @CH9 Follow @coding4fun Follow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Missed-Clippy-Hes-baaackkkk
Mon, 28 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Missed-Clippy-Hes-baaackkkkGreg DuncanGreg Duncan4https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Missed-Clippy-Hes-baaackkkk/RSSCoding4FunVisual Studio extensibilityIoT and Visual StudioI saw today's highlighted article from Terrence Dorsey and knew I had to share it right away. Terrence's article is something any and every Visual Studio IoT Dev is going to want to read...

Internet-connected devices in every home and Windows on every device? We're getting there, and you can develop for most of these IoT devices in Visual Studio.

Computers rule everything around me. It seems like every electronic device today features not only computing power, but wireless connectivity, as well. Thermostats, security cameras, locks and lights, vacuum cleaners ... even toasters. All containing tiny computers, and all interconnected via the Internet.

...

Target EnvironmentsThere's a huge and growing universe of off-the-shelf, programmable, networkable microcontroller devices available now. At a very low level you have a variety of simple 16- and 32-bit devices from a variety of traditional chip makers like Texas Instruments. (I played a bit with the SensorTag development kit and it's a lot of fun, making me think the Watch DevPack might be a great learning toolset, too.)

Some better-known microcontroller devices include ...

...

Visual Studio ExtensionsWhile most of the target devices I just mentioned have their own IDEs -- and pretty good ones at that -- there are a few great extensions that let you work from the familiar Visual Studio environment and its extensive coding and testing tools.

...

Azure IoTNetworked devices are nice, but they're better if you have a cloud-based control application to configure your IoT devices, help them communicate and gather their data. Azure IoT Suite provides easily deployed Microsoft Azure applications to handle the networked aspects of your smart devices and connect them with your back-end applications.

...

AllJoynAllJoyn is an open source, common protocol intended to simplify IoT device discovery and communication. Ongoing AllJoyn protocol development is overseen by the AllSeen Alliance, of which Microsoft is a member, and which has folded in the work of the former Open Connectivity Foundation's' IoTivity protocol work. Windows 10 includes native AllJoyn protocol support built in.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/IoT-and-Visual-StudioI saw today's highlighted article from Terrence Dorsey and knew I had to share it right away. Terrence's article is something any and every Visual Studio IoT Dev is going to want to read... Programming the Internet of Things with Visual StudioInternet-connected devices in every home and Windows on every device? We're getting there, and you can develop for most of these IoT devices in Visual Studio. Computers rule everything around me. It seems like every electronic device today features not only computing power, but wireless connectivity, as well. Thermostats, security cameras, locks and lights, vacuum cleaners ... even toasters. All containing tiny computers, and all interconnected via the Internet. ... Target EnvironmentsThere's a huge and growing universe of off-the-shelf, programmable, networkable microcontroller devices available now. At a very low level you have a variety of simple 16- and 32-bit devices from a variety of traditional chip makers like Texas Instruments. (I played a bit with the SensorTag development kit and it's a lot of fun, making me think the Watch DevPack might be a great learning toolset, too.) Some better-known microcontroller devices include ... ... Visual Studio ExtensionsWhile most of the target devices I just mentioned have their own IDEs -- and pretty good ones at that -- there are a few great extensions that let you work from the familiar Visual Studio environment and its extensive coding and testing tools. ... Azure IoTNetworked devices are nice, but they're better if you have a cloud-based control application to configure your IoT devices, help them communicate and gather their data. Azure IoT Suite provides easily deployed Microsoft Azure applications to handle the networked aspects of your smart devices and connect them with your back-end applications. ... AllJoynAllJoyn is an open source, common protocol intended to simplify IoT device discovery and communication. Ongoing AllJoyn protocol development is overseen by the AllSeen https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/IoT-and-Visual-Studio
Fri, 25 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/IoT-and-Visual-StudioGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/IoT-and-Visual-Studio/RSSCoding4FunIoTKinect to EZ-RobotsLast week on the Coding4Fun Blog, the EZ-Robot and the fact that you can plug-in additional capabilities, like connecting to Microsoft Cognitive Services, Making your EZ-Robots Smart with Microsoft Cognitive Services.

This EZ-Builderplugin enables controlling servos of your robot by moving joints of your body, which are detected by a Microsoft Kinect. Servos can be assigned to each joint using the Settings window. Degrees to move the servos are automatically calculated for joints in relation to the connecting joint. For example, the wrist position in degrees is calculated in relationship to the elbow position. And the elbow position in degrees is calculated in relationship to the shoulder position. Each joint can be assigned to control servo positions between 1-180 degrees of your robot.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-EZ-RobotsLast week on the Coding4Fun Blog, the EZ-Robot and the fact that you can plug-in additional capabilities, like connecting to Microsoft Cognitive Services, Making your EZ-Robots Smart with Microsoft Cognitive Services. Now if only there was an EZ-Robot Kinect plug-in... :) Kinect Body ControlControl robot servos using your body and a Microsoft Kinect This EZ-Builder plugin enables controlling servos of your robot by moving joints of your body, which are detected by a Microsoft Kinect. Servos can be assigned to each joint using the Settings window. Degrees to move the servos are automatically calculated for joints in relation to the connecting joint. For example, the wrist position in degrees is calculated in relationship to the elbow position. And the elbow position in degrees is calculated in relationship to the shoulder position. Each joint can be assigned to control servo positions between 1-180 degrees of your robot. ... Project Information URL: https://www.ez-robot.com/EZ-Builder/Plugins/view/172 Project Download URL: https://www.ez-robot.com/EZ-Builder/Plugins/view/172 Follow @CH9Follow @Coding4FunFollow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-EZ-Robots
Thu, 24 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-EZ-RobotsGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-EZ-Robots/RSSCoding4FunKinectRobotsGetting Groovy with the Groove Music APIGroove has come a long way since it's release. But the app is nothing with an awesome service powering it. And the Groove service has been growing in leaps and bounds.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could take advantage of that service in your apps?

The Groove Music API makes it easy for you to connect your app or website to the world of Groove. The Groove Music API provides access to RESTful web services that offer many features and generate useful data:+

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Getting-Groovy-with-the-Groove-Music-APIGroove has come a long way since it's release. But the app is nothing with an awesome service powering it. And the Groove service has been growing in leaps and bounds. Wouldn't it be cool if you could take advantage of that service in your apps? Groove Dev CenterPower your app with Groove On any platform, on any device, and with millions of tracks that your app can access with the Groove Music SDK. Start building with our SDKs Reach listeners on PC, tablet, Xbox, web, or mobile platforms including Windows 10, iOS, or Android by integrating Groove Music with your app by using our SDKs. Discover Groove Music services Enjoy your own music collection and stream directly from our catalog with millions tracks on your favorite Windows, Android, or iOS device. FAQs Start developing faster with answers to frequently asked questions, such as &quot;I'm coding a game. Can I use the Groove API?&quot; or &quot;How can I link to Groove from my app or website?&quot; Explore the Groove APIConnect your app or website to the world of Groove. Access all Groove Music capabilities from within your app Simple REST APIs with JSON or XML responsesBest-in-class image serviceStreaming that you can integrate on any platform or browserEarn money for referring customers through the Microsoft Affiliate Program ... Groove Music API overviewThe Groove Music API makes it easy for you to connect your app or website to the world of Groove. The Groove Music API provides access to RESTful web services that offer many features and generate useful data:&#43; It is compatible with the Microsoft Affiliate Program that encompasses both streaming premium subscriptions and on-demand purchases.A best in class image service.Streaming that can be integrated on any platform or browser.In addition to PC and mobile, you can reach Xbox 360 and Xbox One.... Now go out there and get your Groove on! Follow @CH9 Follow @coding4fun Follow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Getting-Groovy-with-the-Groove-Music-API
Wed, 23 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Getting-Groovy-with-the-Groove-Music-APIGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Getting-Groovy-with-the-Groove-Music-API/RSSCoding4FunUWP appsSearching in Visual Studio, Powered by Code SearchIf you've ever used VSTS/TFS Code Search, you'll probably loved it, it felt like this was the way code searching should be. Then you did a code search in Visual Studio, and were reminded of the painful past...

Mike Parks has released a cool extension that helps keep that pain away...

It's been quite some time since I've cracked open Visual Studio to create an extension freebie for all my fellow engineers. If you're keeping up with the latest and greatest in the Microsoft Engineering world you've probably already heard about Code Search which delivers a one-stop solution for all your code exploration needs by allowing you to search across multiple projects and repositories at an unmatchable, incredibly fast speed (shoutout to Elasticsearch which supports the back-end, amazing job guys).

I've been using this tool non-stop at work lately to explore the company code base while integrating new features. The value that it provides is extraordinary! The only downside I stumbled upon was the interruption of stopping my coding flow working inside Visual Studio, opening a new Chrome tab, navigating to the Code Search web page, then copying/pasting or typing in the keyword I wanted to search for which usually already existed in the code base I was working on from the Visual Studio Text Editor.

To work around this, I created the Code Search - Visual Studio Text Editor Extension. This extension allows you to use Microsoft's Code Search directly from the Text Editor in Visual Studio by highlighting text and clicking the Code Search context menu option.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Searching-in-Visual-Studio-Powered-by-Code-SearchIf you've ever used VSTS/TFS Code Search, you'll probably loved it, it felt like this was the way code searching should be. Then you did a code search in Visual Studio, and were reminded of the painful past... Mike Parks has released a cool extension that helps keep that pain away... New Visual Studio 2017 Extension - Code Search (VS Text Editor)It's been quite some time since I've cracked open Visual Studio to create an extension freebie for all my fellow engineers. If you're keeping up with the latest and greatest in the Microsoft Engineering world you've probably already heard about Code Search which delivers a one-stop solution for all your code exploration needs by allowing you to search across multiple projects and repositories at an unmatchable, incredibly fast speed (shoutout to Elasticsearch which supports the back-end, amazing job guys). I've been using this tool non-stop at work lately to explore the company code base while integrating new features. The value that it provides is extraordinary! The only downside I stumbled upon was the interruption of stopping my coding flow working inside Visual Studio, opening a new Chrome tab, navigating to the Code Search web page, then copying/pasting or typing in the keyword I wanted to search for which usually already existed in the code base I was working on from the Visual Studio Text Editor. To work around this, I created the Code Search - Visual Studio Text Editor Extension. This extension allows you to use Microsoft's Code Search directly from the Text Editor in Visual Studio by highlighting text and clicking the Code Search context menu option. [Click through to read it all, get the source and more] Follow @CH9 Follow @coding4fun Follow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Searching-in-Visual-Studio-Powered-by-Code-Search
Mon, 21 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Searching-in-Visual-Studio-Powered-by-Code-SearchGreg DuncanGreg Duncan1https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Searching-in-Visual-Studio-Powered-by-Code-Search/RSSCoding4FunTFSVisual Studio extensibilityVSTSMaking your EZ-Robots Smart with Microsoft Cognitive ServicesWho doesn't like making cool robots?

Microsoft Cognitive Services is a set of APIs and SDK services that can enable developers to easily add features that can detect emotion, identify objects and understand language understanding into their applications. Imagine utilizing that same set of features in a robot.

Enter Calgary based EZ-Robot who has created a solution to allow those interested in building robots to create applications for their robots using different SDKs. Their core product called EZ-Builder allows anybody, regardless of programming knowledge, to bring robots to life. The software is available from Windows Store and is able to incorporate Microsoft Cognitive Services to allow for further depth to the EZ-Robot's capabilities..

This post will cover is the use of three plugins compatible with EZ-Builder that are based on Microsoft Cognitive Services. The following are a list of these plugins:

Microsoft Cognitive Emotion: uses Emotion API to understand your primary (with the most confidence) emotion and it’s confidence. Thanks to that you can program different behavior for your robots depends on your emotions;

To setup any of these plugins you simple need to install them on your computer and add to your EZ-Builder project. Once you have these plugins in your project, it’s easy to setup each of them. For example, if you want to use voice commands in your project, you need to provide some parameters using Config window below:

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Making-your-EZ-Robots-Smart-with-Microsoft-Cognitive-ServicesWho doesn't like making cool robots? Who doesn't like it when they are easy to build? Who doesn't like extending them, making them smarter (to a point)? One of our favorite robot platforms, EZ-Robot, Easy Robotics with Windows 10 and EZ-Robot, has some great extensibility options/plugins. Sergiy Baydachnyy has written up a cool post on a couple of those plugins, plugins that help you make your robot all that much smarter... Build Intelligent Robots with EZ-Robot and Microsoft Cognitive ServicesWhat if a robot could tell how you are feeling? Microsoft Cognitive Services is a set of APIs and SDK services that can enable developers to easily add features that can detect emotion, identify objects and understand language understanding into their applications. Imagine utilizing that same set of features in a robot. Enter Calgary based EZ-Robot who has created a solution to allow those interested in building robots to create applications for their robots using different SDKs. Their core product called EZ-Builder allows anybody, regardless of programming knowledge, to bring robots to life. The software is available from Windows Store and is able to incorporate Microsoft Cognitive Services to allow for further depth to the EZ-Robot's capabilities.. This post will cover is the use of three plugins compatible with EZ-Builder that are based on Microsoft Cognitive Services. The following are a list of these plugins: Bing Speech Recognition: based on Bing Speech API and allows your robots to understand voice commands;Microsoft Cognitive Emotion: uses Emotion API to understand your primary (with the most confidence) emotion and it’s confidence. Thanks to that you can program different behavior for your robots depends on your emotions;Microsoft Cognitive Vision: based on Computer Vision API and allows you to grab image frames from input video stream to describe them and find some tags that are associated with the frames;To setup any of these plugins you simple need to install them https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Making-your-EZ-Robots-Smart-with-Microsoft-Cognitive-Services
Fri, 18 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Making-your-EZ-Robots-Smart-with-Microsoft-Cognitive-ServicesGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Making-your-EZ-Robots-Smart-with-Microsoft-Cognitive-Services/RSSCoding4FunRobotComputer VisionWindows 10Kinect to MusicA great example of how the Kinect continues to drive unique experiences...

DJ and producer Alison Wonderland needed a compact performance kit to power fantastical, next-level visuals on her worldwide tour. The solution: a Surface-powered kit that she and her VJ can control from stage.

...

A mesmerizing performer equally at home behind the decks in raucous warehouse parties and center stage headlining international festivals, Alison Wonderland has been creating music and performing for over a decade – from playing cello in orchestras and rocking the bass in indie bands, to her current status as rising electronic music star.

As she continues to find new fans, Alison requires a compact yet robust tour kit that can adapt to events of all sizes and styles. Her custom performance kit – running on a Microsoft Surface Book, combined with Kinect – is powering live visuals inspired in equal parts by spirituality and galactic pop-culture imagery. And when paired with Alison’s thrilling music, they’ll provide a spellbinding adventure for fans.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-MusicA great example of how the Kinect continues to drive unique experiences... Alison Wonderland DJ and producer Alison Wonderland needed a compact performance kit to power fantastical, next-level visuals on her worldwide tour. The solution: a Surface-powered kit that she and her VJ can control from stage. ... A mesmerizing performer equally at home behind the decks in raucous warehouse parties and center stage headlining international festivals, Alison Wonderland has been creating music and performing for over a decade – from playing cello in orchestras and rocking the bass in indie bands, to her current status as rising electronic music star. As she continues to find new fans, Alison requires a compact yet robust tour kit that can adapt to events of all sizes and styles. Her custom performance kit – running on a Microsoft Surface Book, combined with Kinect – is powering live visuals inspired in equal parts by spirituality and galactic pop-culture imagery. And when paired with Alison’s thrilling music, they’ll provide a spellbinding adventure for fans. ... Project Information URL: https://www.microsoft.com/inculture/musicxtech/Alison-Wonderland/ Follow @CH9Follow @Coding4FunFollow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-Music
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-MusicGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-Music/RSSCoding4FunKinectUp Level Your Small Basic to Visual StudioNonki Takahashi has written a great, zero to hero, wiki page on how you can move your Small Basic project to Visual Studio, "graduating" it.

If you've ever wondered about this process, or interested in the good, bad and ugly, this is a page you're going to want to read...

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Up-Level-Your-Small-Basic-to-Visual-StudioNonki Takahashi has written a great, zero to hero, wiki page on how you can move your Small Basic project to Visual Studio, &quot;graduating&quot; it. If you've ever wondered about this process, or interested in the good, bad and ugly, this is a page you're going to want to read... Small Basic: Instructions to Graduate and Debug with Visual Studio 2017This article shows step by step instructions about [Graduate] and debugging with Visual Studio 2017 for Microsoft Small Basic program language. The following versions of programs are used: Windows 10.Small Basic v1.2.Visual Studio Community 2017.Visual Studio Community 2013 (if possible, see Known Issues).... Table of ContentsInstall Visual Studio Community 2017GraduateExport to Visual BasicSelect .NET FrameworkAdd ReferenceCastDebug with Visual StudioFind SymbolBreak PointWatchAutosSave ChangesKnown IssuesVisual Basic Not FoundTextWindow Doesn't WorkSee Also[Click through to read the page...] Follow @CH9 Follow @coding4fun Follow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Up-Level-Your-Small-Basic-to-Visual-Studio
Wed, 16 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Up-Level-Your-Small-Basic-to-Visual-StudioGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Up-Level-Your-Small-Basic-to-Visual-Studio/RSSCoding4FunSmall BasicThe Visual Studio 2017 Color Theme Editor is Finally Available!Dev Humans are weird. Some will spend hours and days tweaking the colors of their IDE, making their perfect theme, and some are just fine with the default themes (and let's not even bring up the Light vs Dark topic...).

If crafting the perfect theme is your thing, you'll be very happy to know that the Visual Studio 2017 Theme Editor is finally available. Start your theme tweaking engines!

This Channel 9 video gives an in-depth description of how to use the extension.

Features & Benefits

Import and upgrade themes from Visual Studio 2015

Added support for new Visual Studio 2017 features - including Start Page and Developer News

Easily rename custom themes

Preview text color and background combinations in the theme editor before applying the theme

Choose from several prebuilt themes including a Light theme with a dark editor, a Dark theme with a light editor, two themes based on Ethan Schoonover's Solarized color palette, and four additional colored themes (Red, Green, Tan, Purple)

Ability to copy/paste, undo/redo, and multi-select editcolor values

A new and improved color picker to easily change your theme’s colors

More Visual Studio UI that can be modified including most tool window backgrounds and selection colors

Customize your editor colors from the theme editor UI

Copy colors from existing themes to easily create variations on the prebuilt themes

Import and export themes to share themes across multiple machines or with friends

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/The-Visual-Studio-2017-Color-Theme-Editor-is-Finally-AvailableDev Humans are weird. Some will spend hours and days tweaking the colors of their IDE, making their perfect theme, and some are just fine with the default themes (and let's not even bring up the Light vs Dark topic...). If crafting the perfect theme is your thing, you'll be very happy to know that the Visual Studio 2017 Theme Editor is finally available. Start your theme tweaking engines! Visual Studio 2017 Color Theme EditorAllows users to customize the Visual Studio 2017 color palette. This Channel 9 video gives an in-depth description of how to use the extension. Features &amp; Benefits Import and upgrade themes from Visual Studio 2015Added support for new Visual Studio 2017 features - including Start Page and Developer NewsEasily rename custom themesPreview text color and background combinations in the theme editor before applying the themeChoose from several prebuilt themes including a Light theme with a dark editor, a Dark theme with a light editor, two themes based on Ethan Schoonover's Solarized color palette, and four additional colored themes (Red, Green, Tan, Purple)Ability to copy/paste, undo/redo, and multi-select editcolor valuesA new and improved color picker to easily change your theme’s colorsMore Visual Studio UI that can be modified including most tool window backgrounds and selection colorsCustomize your editor colors from the theme editor UICopy colors from existing themes to easily create variations on the prebuilt themesImport and export themes to share themes across multiple machines or with friends[Click through to download it now] Follow @CH9 Follow @coding4fun Follow @gduncan411 https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/The-Visual-Studio-2017-Color-Theme-Editor-is-Finally-Available
Mon, 14 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/The-Visual-Studio-2017-Color-Theme-Editor-is-Finally-AvailableGreg DuncanGreg Duncan2https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/The-Visual-Studio-2017-Color-Theme-Editor-is-Finally-Available/RSSCoding4FunWindows 10 IoT, UWP, Raspberry Pi and Text-to-SpeechAndrej Tozon shared this cool project, one that any Windows 10 IoT UWP Dev will enjoy reading...

One of the best features I’ve found in using Windows 10 IoT Core on my home Raspberry Pi (which is a small, inexpensive piece of hardware) is, it can do voice synthesis very well (i.e. it can “speak”). While Windows developers could develop applications with this same functionality for quite a long time, I was still overwhelmed when I saw such small device say anything I ordered it to. It currently may not support all the options and voices older platforms do, but it’s more than enough for scenarios like home automation, notifications, etc. The fact that Windows 10 IoT Core even supports Cortana means Microsoft has big plans for IoT Core and voice recognition an synthesis.

When building my house a few years ago, I’ve put in a pair of audio cables going to both of two floors, to be later able to install two small (but powerful) speakers into a central ceiling of each floor. A private little whole house audio/ambient music system, if you will. I’ve plugged them into an amplifier installed in my utility room and connected to a Raspberry Pi running Windows IoT Core. [Sure, it’s all possible and doable wireless as well, but I’d still trust wired installations over wireless, so if given a chance, I’d pick wires anytime].

What’s Coming with Windows 10 Fall Creators update

There are additional options you can set to SpeechSynthesizer. Adding to existing IncludeSentenceBoundaryMetadata and IncludeWordBoundaryMetadata properties, the forthcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators update is looking to add some new interesting ones...

...

Speech

It only takes a few lines to actually produce something with SpeechSynthesizer: add a MediaPlayer to the SpeechService class, along with the new SayAsync method:...

...

Ready to tell time

We need another method for telling time, here’s an example:

...

Deploying to a device

There are many ways to deploy your app to an IoT Core device, but I usually find it easiest to deploy from within Visual Studio.

Open project’s Property pages and select Debug page. Find the Start options section, select Remote Machine as Target Device and hit the Find button. If your device is online, it will be listed in the Auto Detected list. Select it, leaving Authentication Mode to Universal.

...

Wrap up

We’ve created a small background app that literally tells time, running on a number of small devices that support Windows 10 IoT Core. In future posts, I’ll add additional features, some of them I’ve introduced in the beginning of this blog post.

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Windows-10-IoT-UWP-Raspberry-Pi-and-Text-to-SpeechAndrej Tozon shared this cool project, one that any Windows 10 IoT UWP Dev will enjoy reading... Text-To-Speech with Windows 10 Iot Core &amp; UWP on Raspberry PiOne of the best features I’ve found in using Windows 10 IoT Core on my home Raspberry Pi (which is a small, inexpensive piece of hardware) is, it can do voice synthesis very well (i.e. it can “speak”). While Windows developers could develop applications with this same functionality for quite a long time, I was still overwhelmed when I saw such small device say anything I ordered it to. It currently may not support all the options and voices older platforms do, but it’s more than enough for scenarios like home automation, notifications, etc. The fact that Windows 10 IoT Core even supports Cortana means Microsoft has big plans for IoT Core and voice recognition an synthesis. When building my house a few years ago, I’ve put in a pair of audio cables going to both of two floors, to be later able to install two small (but powerful) speakers into a central ceiling of each floor. A private little whole house audio/ambient music system, if you will. I’ve plugged them into an amplifier installed in my utility room and connected to a Raspberry Pi running Windows IoT Core. [Sure, it’s all possible and doable wireless as well, but I’d still trust wired installations over wireless, so if given a chance, I’d pick wires anytime]. Windows 10 IoT CoreSo Why Windows IoT Core? ... ... DevelopmentWhat I’ll be using: Visual Studio 2017 – see here for downloads,Raspberry Pi 3 with latest Windows 10 IoT Core installed – see here for download and instructions on how to install it.I’ll also be using ... ... SpeechSynthesizerThe SpeechSynthesizer class has been around for quite a while and in various implementations across different frameworks. I’ll use the one what we’ve currently got on Windows 10 / UWP, where it sits under the Windows.Media.SpeechSynthesis namespace. ... ... What’s Coming with Windows 10 Fall Creators updateTherehttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Windows-10-IoT-UWP-Raspberry-Pi-and-Text-to-Speech
Fri, 11 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Windows-10-IoT-UWP-Raspberry-Pi-and-Text-to-SpeechGreg DuncanGreg Duncan1https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/blog/Windows-10-IoT-UWP-Raspberry-Pi-and-Text-to-Speech/RSSCoding4FunSpeech to TextIoTwindows 10 iotKinect to Gestures with Project PragueToday's project was found via Mike Taulty recent Hands, Gestures and a Quick Trip to ‘Prague’ post (which you should go read too... go ahead... I'll wait...)

Project Prague is an SDK (software development kit) that allows you to create NUI (natural user interface) experiences based on hand gesture input. We provide a .NET API (application programming interface) enabling you to easily design and implement your own customized hand gestures and integrate them into your applications.+

The building blocks of a gesture are hand poses and hand motions. Using simple constraints specified in an intuitive language, we allow you to define any hand pose and any hand motion you like. You can string together a sequence of hand poses and hand motions to specify a gesture. Once your gesture is defined and registered with our runtime, we will notify you whenever we detect that your user has performed the gesture with their hand. At this point you can run the desired logic to respond to the detected gesture.+

Using Project Prague, you will enable your users to use hand gestures to intuitively control music and videos, bookmark and like web content, send an emoji on IM (instant messaging) applications, interact with a digital assistant, create and run PowerPoint slideshows, manipulate three-dimensional objects, play games using their hands alone, and much more.+

Getting started with Project Prague

Supported depth cameras

To run Project Prague on your machine, you must acquire a depth camera. We currently support the following brands:

]]>https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-Gestures-with-Project-PragueToday's project was found via Mike Taulty recent Hands, Gestures and a Quick Trip to ‘Prague’ post (which you should go read too... go ahead... I'll wait...) Project PragueProject Prague is an SDK (software development kit) that allows you to create NUI (natural user interface) experiences based on hand gesture input. We provide a .NET API (application programming interface) enabling you to easily design and implement your own customized hand gestures and integrate them into your applications.&#43; The building blocks of a gesture are hand poses and hand motions. Using simple constraints specified in an intuitive language, we allow you to define any hand pose and any hand motion you like. You can string together a sequence of hand poses and hand motions to specify a gesture. Once your gesture is defined and registered with our runtime, we will notify you whenever we detect that your user has performed the gesture with their hand. At this point you can run the desired logic to respond to the detected gesture.&#43; Using Project Prague, you will enable your users to use hand gestures to intuitively control music and videos, bookmark and like web content, send an emoji on IM (instant messaging) applications, interact with a digital assistant, create and run PowerPoint slideshows, manipulate three-dimensional objects, play games using their hands alone, and much more.&#43; Getting started with Project PragueSupported depth camerasTo run Project Prague on your machine, you must acquire a depth camera. We currently support the following brands: Intel® RealSense™ SR300 camera20-60 [cm] Kinect for Windows v260-110 [cm] ... Hardware and software requirementsPlease make sure your system meets the following requirements before you proceed to set up Project Prague: ... Setting up Project Prague on your machineTo get Project Prague running on your machine you will need to: ... Understanding gestures in Project PragueBefore you start writing gestures, you should get familiar https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-Gestures-with-Project-Prague
Thu, 10 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMThttps://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-Gestures-with-Project-PragueGreg DuncanGreg Duncan0https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect/Kinect-to-Gestures-with-Project-Prague/RSSCoding4FunGesturesKinect